Veteran Cop Named Police Chief

LOWELL -- UMass Lowell has tapped a former Baltimore County police lieutenant to serve as its next police chief.

Randolph Brashears of Palmyra, Va., was named UMass Lowell's director of public safety after a national search by a committee made up of faculty, students and members of the community.

The first African-American police chief in the university's history, Brashears worked for the Baltimore County Police Department for more than 20 years. Since 2007, he has served as commander of investigations for the University of Virginia Police Department.

During his time with the Baltimore County force, Brashears held various positions in the investigations department, internal affairs and the community drug and violence interdiction team.

Brashears focused on community policing, including working with elected officials and neighborhood groups, during his last decade with the department.

Brashears' first day at UMass Lowell is Monday. An official swearing-in ceremony is planned for May 4.

He will succeed Allan Roscoe, who has served as interim chief for the UMass Lowell Police Department since 2008. Roscoe will return to UMass Lowell's Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, where he teaches courses on homeland security and anti-terrorism.

Brashears beat out more than 170 applicants for the job. Roscoe did not apply.

During the interview process, Brashears toured the Lowell campus, went on a ride-along on a typical night patrol and met with top university officials.

"The search committee really had the safety and security of the entire campus community in mind throughout the hiring process," Steve O'Riordan, an associate vice chancellor of financial services, who headed the search committee, said in a statement.

Brashears has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of Baltimore. He has also studied at the University of Virginia and trained with the FBI. He will be paid $110,000 per year.